'Outer Banks' stars say their hearts are with North Carolina hurricane victims

NEW YORK, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Outer Banks stars Chase Stokes and Drew Starkey say North Carolina has a special place in their hearts, and they are looking for ways to help those communities devastated by Hurricane Helene.

"The show takes place in a fictional version of the Outer Banks, but Drew is born and raised in North Carolina," Stokes told UPI in a recent Zoom interview ahead of Thursday's Season 4 premiere of their Netflix adventure drama.

"It's a tragedy and it's terrible to see the state of North Carolina going through the destruction that it has been from the storm," Stokes said. "We're just praying and hoping that this is sort of the start to a rebuilding process, and [we're] trying to find a way to help out."

Starkey added: "That's my home. I was born in Asheville and raised in Asheville and Hickory, N.C., and so those are my communities.

"It's really hard to watch my home kind of changed, but the people there, the communities there are helping one another and that's the spirit of North Carolina."

Season 4 of the young-adult series finds the friends known as "The Pogues" -- Stokes (John B.), Madelyn Cline (Sarah), Madison Bailey (Kiara), Jonathan Daviss (Pope), Carlacia Grant (Cleo) and Rudy Pankow (J.J,) -- adjusting to life back home in their northeastern coastal town after finding the long-lost El Dorado treasure in Colombia.

"I think it's granted a form of stability for The Pogues for the first time that they've seen since the [fictional] hurricane hit [in Season 1]. So, I think they're excited at the idea of having a win," Stokes said.

"Also, finding the City of Gold? You're going to be kind of famous for that, so they're wearing that around their neck, too," Pankow said. "That's kind of cool."

Starkey plays Rafe, Sarah's brother and leader of "The Kooks," a group of privileged kids who hate The Pogues.

"They're back to the old rivalry," Starkey said about Season 4.

"We revisit some tension, too, between the two groups, which is nice -- kind of an ode to where we started the show."

Although John B. and Rafe lose their fathers at the end of Season 3, the deaths don't seem to bring them together in the new episodes.

"These characters have a really deep understanding of what the other has gone through, but, still, there's a stubbornness," Starkey said.

"You guys could really benefit from having a drink with each other," Pankow chimed in.

"We could be buddies," Stokes quipped. "We should just sit down and have a beer. Talk through some things."

"That would be nice," Starkey said, reaching over and shaking Stokes' hand.

When Pankow predicted this could be a great scene for the show, Stokes added, "Would be. Hypothetically."

Cline said in a separate Zoom interview alongside Bailey that the demise of their dads is another reason why Sarah and boyfriend John B. are drawn to each other.

"That's a huge one, and it's only been 18 months [since they died]," Cline added.

"We start this season with The Pogues all together and very unified with their common goals and life kind of peaceful for the first time in the past three seasons. The whole thing is we're seeing John B. and Sarah move on from this," Cline said.

"They share a tragedy together and are helping each other grow and heal from what's happened."

The Season 3 finale showed Bailey's character Kiara reunited with her estranged parents, who sent her to a camp for wayward kids because they didn't like her friends or habit of running off to treasure hunt.

"We don't have a ton of Kiara with her parents this season, but I think they are at an understanding," Bailey said.

"Kiara's kind of separated herself, in a way," she added. "They committed the ultimate betrayal of their daughter last year when they sent her away, and I think it's like 'love at a distance.'

"They still show up and support her, but I think it's a very different relationship. Kiara's a little older and, so, it's like, 'I'm going to do my thing.'"

Since Sarah and Kiara come from wealthier backgrounds than the rest of their friend group, money is not the main motivator for them to join in The Pogues' risk-taking adventures. It is their respective romances with John B. and JJ.

"We're never passing the Bechdel Test," Cline laughed, referring to the famous standard for feminism. "What can we say? We are 'ride or dies.' We're in love."